The princess regretted it.

Chapter 387 Chess Pieces

"Second brother, what do you mean? Are you suspecting that I want to frame you?" The third prince had known that this would happen when he was in the palace, and he had already made up his mind.

Hearing the Second Prince's question, he looked hurt. He looked at the Second Prince and asked aggrievedly, "Second brother, I have already made it clear in front of the Emperor. I really thought this was an opportunity for you..."

"Alright! Stop talking nonsense!" The Second Prince interrupted Zhangsun Wuwang. His voice was low but filled with suppressed anger. "I'm not as smart as you, but I'm not a fool either."

He took a step forward, approaching the Third Prince. "If this is truly a good thing, why did you bring up the snowstorm when Father asked? Why didn't you just mention the envoy from Yu?"

The Third Prince was forced to take a half step back, and he was also annoyed in his heart, but his face still showed that he had suffered a lot of grievances. He said anxiously: "Second brother, you really misunderstood me! This task must be proposed by you!"

"Hmph, what do you mean?" The Second Prince snorted coldly, "You'd better explain it to me clearly."

"Second brother, stop pretending to be ignorant. Don't you want to ascend to the supreme position?" The third prince stared straight at the second prince. His voice was very low, like a cold snake. He leaned close to the second prince's ear and spoke these words word by word.

When the Second Prince heard this, his face instantly turned as pale as paper, his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, his breathing suddenly stopped, and his lips trembled violently uncontrollably.

"You!" He suppressed the panic surging in his heart, quickly glanced around, and when he was sure that no one was around, he lowered his voice and said in shock and anger, "Are you going to kill yourself? How dare you say such outrageous words? You are so bold!" He never thought that his third brother, who seemed indifferent on weekdays, would have such thoughts? He never thought that he would be so bold as to say such taboo words out loud.

"Brother, our elder brother, the Crown Prince, has been gone for many years, and Father has yet to appoint another Crown Prince." The Third Prince, seemingly oblivious to the Second Prince's alarm, continued, "Now, many of the court officials are interested in you. It's just that you, Brother, have never given them the opportunity to recommend you to Father. Right now, receiving the envoys from the State of Yu is your perfect opportunity. Think about it, Brother, if you were to receive the envoys as the Emperor's agent, what would that mean to the entire court, both civil and military officials, and the people of the land? Have you never given it much thought?"

"Stop talking nonsense! The position of the crown prince is related to the foundation of the country. It is the decision of our father, the emperor. How can you and I discuss it casually? You want to make me bear the stigma of disloyalty and injustice!" The second prince finally calmed down his disordered heartbeat, and his suspicion of his third brother became stronger. His eyes were as sharp as a knife, piercing straight at Changsun Wuwang.

"Furthermore, if you really want to help me, then what does this have to do with your previous plea for me in front of the emperor?" The Second Prince asked question after question, "Or do you want to step on me to get to the top? Hmm?"

"Second brother, if I bring it up, you will lose the initiative in the eyes of the emperor, and he will think that you don't care about these things." The third prince almost cursed in his heart out loud, and explained to the second prince with a helpless look on his face.

The Second Prince frowned and stared at the Third Prince suspiciously: "What do you mean by that?"

"Think about it, second brother," the Third Prince leaned closer, his voice lowered to a whisper, "if even something as important as receiving the envoys had to be handled by your younger brother, what would the Emperor think? He would think you had no ambition and were not up to the task!"

Some snowflakes drifted down on the shoulders of the two men with the cold wind. The second prince's face was extremely solemn. He stared at the third prince's eyes, trying to find any flaws in them.

"Third brother," the Second Prince suddenly sneered, "Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? If it's really as you say, why didn't you explain it to me before you came? Why did you have to wait until I was in front of the emperor..."

"Second brother!" The Third Prince suddenly raised his voice to interrupt, then lowered it again cautiously, "If I had told you in advance, you would have hesitated and not dared to come. I am..."

"That's enough!" The Second Prince swung his sleeves violently. "I don't care what you're planning. From now on, don't involve me in these matters anymore!"

"Second brother!" The third prince looked anxious and was about to speak again.

"Third brother," the second prince interrupted him and moved closer to the third prince, "remember this. Although I don't like court fights, I am not a pawn that can be manipulated by others." After saying this, he turned around and strode away.

The third prince stood there, watching the second prince's receding back. The grievance in his eyes gradually faded away, replaced by a sinister smile.

"Chess piece?" he whispered to himself. "This game of chess has already begun..." He pulled a jade pendant from his sleeve. It shone brightly in the snowy light. If you look closely, you can see the character "Yu" engraved on the back of the jade pendant.

Meanwhile, at the corner of the corridor not far away, Jin An, who had just bid farewell to her father, took in the entire scene. She gently stroked the heater in her hand, lost in thought.

"Princess, do you need me to check?" Ziyun asked softly.

"Let's go back first!" Jin An said without hesitation. It was up to Han Shuang or Ye Yi to investigate this matter. After Jin An saw the Third Prince leave, he took two steps back and turned to leave. Han Shuang followed Jin An and turned around and left together.

......

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince is coming down." Mingyue walked in through the curtain and whispered to Concubine Cen.

Concubine Cen was sitting on the Arhat couch, checking the list of items for the annual banquet presented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Upon hearing this, she raised her eyes slightly and cast her gaze towards Mingyue, her brows slightly furrowed in confusion. "It's snowing so hard outside, why is he coming here at this time?"

Mingyue shook her head. "I saw the eunuch beside the Second Prince holding a gift box, but I don't know what's inside it."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Cen carefully folded the list in her hand and placed it gently on the small table beside her. Mingyue hurried forward to support Concubine Cen's outstretched arm.

Concubine Cen used the force to stand up, opened her arms, and let Mingyue tidy up her clothes. Then she walked out of the inner room with Mingyue's support.

As soon as he arrived at the main room, the second prince who was standing in the room saw the situation and hurriedly saluted respectfully, "Your son greets mother! I pay my respects to mother!" The second prince's saluting movements were standard and his tone was humble and respectful, and there was nothing wrong with it. However, his tone lacked the intimacy that should exist between a mother and son.

Concubine Cen knew this very well. After all, they were not biological mother and son. Moreover, she could not really feel close to the Second Prince. Recalling that the Emperor suddenly ordered the Second Prince to be registered under his own name, anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was just the Emperor's way of punishing Concubine Zhang and comforting herself at the same time.